Johanna Rusanen studied singing at the Sibelius Academy, in Berlin and Vienna.
In 1995, she won the Timo Mustakallio Competition, in 1996, - the Lappeenranta Singing Competition.
She was awarded the Martti Talvela Scholarship in 1997, a scholarship to the Deutsche Oper (Berlin) for 1998-2000, the Karita Mattila Fund Prize in 2001.

Since getting launched on her operatic career in Kuopio in 1994, Johanna Rusanen has visited the Savonlinna Opera Festival, the Finnish National Opera, the Deutsche Opera (Berlin), Vantaa Opera, Turku Opera, Opera Cava and Oulu Opera.

Her roles have included Marie in Berg‘s Wozzeck, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Marguerite in Faust, Ortlinde in Die Walkure, the First Lady in Die Zauberfloete, Mimi in La boheme, the High Priestess in Aida and Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera. She also sang the female lead in Tuomas Kantelinen‘s opera Paavo Nurmi at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 2000. In spring 2006, she sang the First Lady in Die Zauberfloete at the Finnish National Opera.